Parental engagement in education has proven to be important to children's academic success. Research suggests that when parents are involved in their children's schooling, children tend to be motivated learners, have high educational aspirations, get good grades, and experience a sense of school belonging (Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012; Hill et…

School leaders are increasingly called upon to pursue meaningful partnerships with families and community groups, yet many leaders are unprepared to meet the challenges of partnerships, to cross cultural boundaries, or to be accountable to the community. Alliances are needed among educators, families, and community groups that value relationship…

This directory describes 53 innovative and alternative school programs throughout Canada. Each school or program is examined separately in a one- or two-page entry, which briefly discusses the objectives and focus of the program and lists one or more persons who can be contacted for additional information. Schools are grouped by province and are…

This program, based on the Portage Project, serves 169 urban families with developmentally delayed children ages 0-6. In weekly visits, a specialist teaches parents to work with their children. Results indicate improvement in both children and parents. (SJL)

Describes a comprehensive Early Childhood Services program recently introduced in the educational system of Canada's Alberta Province. The aims of this program are to foster child development, parent participation, and community involvement. Health and hygiene services are incorporated in the program along with social welfare and educational…

A pilot bilingual project was set up for children of Italian immigrants. Before entering first grade, the children attend junior and senior kindergarten classes with children of similar linguistic and cultural background. The classes are designed to make the children's adjustment to school more comfortable and to facilitate parent involvement.…

Describes the development and evaluation of a community-based program that provided an alternative to residential care by providing "wraparound" services to children with moderate to severe emotional difficulties. Program goals were preventing admission to residential care, maintaining children in the area, and assisting in early…

A presentation about the Early Education Project for young Down's Syndrome children in Alberta, Canada, covers six aspects of the project. Behavioral assessment techniques are described by the project's home teacher. The use of the test-teach model is reviewed, and sample data sheets are provided. The development of specific programs for…

Identifies some aspirations of Native Canadians in sparsely populated isolated communities: relevant curriculum, acceptance and encouragement of native language usage, active involvement of parents in the educational process. Describes Brandon University's new distance education program for special education certification in Manitoba. (NEC)

Describes a program to improve the reading skills of primary and junior level students by encouraging parents to listen to their child reading at home for at least 20 minutes daily. Notes program results including improved reading development, better home-school relationships, and increased circulation for school and community libraries. (JHZ)

This paper describes a collaborative effort aimed at province-wide dissemination and implementation of pivotal response treatment (PRT) for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Three critical components of the associated training model are described: (1) direct training of treatment teams (parents, one-to-one…

This bibliography contains references to books, articles, project reports, pamphlets, and conference papers (a few written in French) chosen for their easy availability and divided into sections on various topics pertinent to day care services: (1) organization and administration, funding and costing, need for day care; (2) parent involvement,…

The two main sections of this report describe the general model for the Volunteer Parental Involvement Program and provide the program documentation. The model is accompanied by materials developed for its implementation in in schools. These materials comprise a manual that schools are employing in developing their own Parental Assistance…

In a country as diverse as Canada, no single school system could adequately serve all students. Programs vary markedly across the country and even within provinces, as the schools strive to accommodate the vast differences among the students. With a few exceptions, high school students of Native ancestry attend the regular provincial high schools…

This document consists of the three 2000 issues of The Bernard van Leer Foundation's "Early Childhood Matters." This periodical, addressed to practitioners in the field of early childhood education, evolved from an in-house publication directed to projects funded by the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Articles in the February 2000 edition…